Friday, January 23, 2009

Bus Cuts: Manhattan Riders Yelling Louder, Brooklyn Could Be Hit Unfairly

A reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle encountered an elderly B25 bus rider circulating a “Save Our B25 Bus” petition: “Did you know that the city wants to get rid of this bus line?” said the woman. Another rider exclaimed, “What! I hadn’t heard about it.” She immediately signed the petition as others eagerly did so, too.

If the proposed mass transit cuts go into effect this spring, service on the B23, B25, B37, B39, B51 and B75 buses will be eliminated.

Other Brooklyn service changes include ending weekend service on the X27 and X28 express bus routes, and more cutbacks on the B2, B4, B7, B16, B24, B48, B57, B65, B69, B71, B75 and others.

Bravo to that elderly woman: Most of the older people in my building are unaware that the only bus that they can make it to -- the B25 -- is slated for elimination. This is probably playing out the same way all over Brooklyn. Riders will be unaware that their buses are going to disappear until they are gone.

Commenter Peony said on an earlier post: "Brooklyn and Queens are getting a really unfair amount of cuts, particularly the southwestern slope, south Gowanus, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge."

Peony was was one of only two people who spoke out for Brooklyn in the Manhattan hearings. It seems that Brooklyn is competing against Manhattan for transit funds: "There were extremely organized groups there for the M8 and the M10, with multiple speakers and many people in the audience holding signs," Peony says.

B25 Bus Route, Facing Ax, Target of Petitions Brooklyn Eagle

Crucial Brooklyn Bus Routes Face the Ax McBrooklyn

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

3 comments:

Steve O. said...

FWIW, I rode the B69 today and there was a big poster on the window that listed the possible cuts and the dates and places for public hearings regarding such. Are these not on every bus?

Please people -- call or write all of your state and city representatives and tell them you support the Ravitch plan to toll the bridges -- otherwise really dreadful cuts and fare increases are going to happen.

Anonymous said...

Brooklynites also need to make sure their legislators know we depend on mass transit, not cars, and support congestion pricing for weekday driving in the Manhattan business districts and tolls on the East River bridges. These are issues which have become inner-vs-outer-borough disputes as our legislators and BP advocate for automobile drivers' "rights".

Anonymous said...

Inspect away Congestion! The city should toughen inspections for medical, psychiatric and vehicle reasons to cut down the number of congestion. This way, we will also get the voters against congestion pricing, who live in Bayside and Staten Island, to move away. Free health care means psychiatric care for all those angry talk radio white males!